Buying A New Spa or Swim Spa

Please note this is a rough draft and will be updated with more info - 04/03/2015The Checklist:1. Electrical Approval Number: _________________________ 2. Can the dealer provide proof that the spa is compliant with all Australian Standards? Yes / No 3. Is your dealer a: Spa-Specialist / Pool Shop / Hardware Seller / eBay / Unknown4. Spa Shell Country of Origin: USA / Australia / Canada / New Zealand / China / Other / Unknown5. What is the current / power consumption needed to run the spa? Some eBay/Chinese spas require abnormally high amounts of power to run. An average 6-10 person spa needs 15-32Amps. Some eBay spas require 80Amps!_______ Amps Full Load6. Is the spa shell insulated itself? Yes (good) / No (higher-running costs)7. Is the Foam sprayed on shell-only, or on plumbing as well? Shell-Only (best) / On Plumbing (expensive when leaks) / No Foam (bad)8. Are Jets & Fittings easily available?(Eg: Brands like CMP / Rising Dragon / Waterway / Edgetec / SpaQuip / American Products)Yes / No - If ‘No’ What brand are they?9. Does the spa dealer have an in-house technician or someone qualified in repair? Ask if they have electrical qualifications. If they say they don’t need any, this is not true.Yes / No - If ‘No’ they cannot legally repair your spa electricals10. Does the spa have any blisters, at all? If no, what is the warranty covering, and how long is the warranty on the shell itself?Current Blisters - Yes / NoWarranty Cover Blisters - Yes / NoWarranty Period - _________eBay / Chinese / “Cheap” Spas:**VERY IMPORTANT** Will the manufacturer give you an actual Electrical Approval Number? If they just say it's "approved","ISO 2001","CE Ticked","worldwide approval" etc but do not give an actual Australian electrical approval number it is probably an illegal spa. There are dozens of companies selling spas this way, especially popping up with a warehouse or on eBay. Your insurance will not cover illegal spas when things go wrong. (and they DO go wrong).You are also compromising you and your family's safety. Some of these spas are downright dangerous, and we have actually seen them catch fire.Contact Us to help you ascertain if a spa you are looking at is approved. Other issues with "cheap" spas:The Shell or Spa Itself:The acrylic/fibreglass shell on many eBay/Chinese spas is poor and is prone to blistering. This is where the acrylic (the visible) layer is detaching from the underlying fibreglass reinforcement. There is no real fix for this, and as the blisters grow, they will crack.The often steel-framing on cheap spas is poorly done, leaving stresses on the spa shell. Many of these cheaper spas are prone to premature cracks.Plastics quality - Jets, Manifolds, Diverters. Make sure these are US-made jets. Cheaper spas have poor quality-control and can be very hit-and-miss. Are the electronic parts easily available and replaceable? Again, as many don't even have electrical approval parts may not be available in the future. Again are they electrically approved in Australia?Australian / US built spas have parts available often 10-25 years after they were made.Are the jets & spare parts easily available?- US-made jets are still around that were being made 25 years ago.Is the spa ABSOLUTELY COVERED in fittings? Many cheaper spas have so many jets and fittings that look impressive, but those are potential places to leak in the future. Sometimes they don’t even have the right sealants/glue used and prematurely failOther things to look for with ANY brand of spa:Stick with US, Canadian or Australian companieseg (Aeware / Gecko / Balboa / Spa-Quip / SpaNet). They're approved, established and parts are generally available for many years in the future. Is the equipment easily accessible? When problems arise, it is important to be able to access all equipment. Otherwise it can be very difficult and expensive to work on.Insulation:What kind of insulation does the spa have? a. A combination of shell & cabinet insulation is best. b. Spray foam AFTER the spa is plumbed is a good insulator, but can make it VERY difficult and EXPENSIVE in the future as leaks appear and need repairing. Locating leaks and getting to everything is time-consuming and messy. A $100 leak can easily turn into a $500 leak.The Company:- How long have they been in business selling spas? - Do they also install spas, or just sell them off from a shop, home, or warehouse?- Are they actually a spa-specialist, or is it just a sideline of their business to sell a few spas?- Will they be around in the future? - Will you still be able to get support / repairs when things go wrong?

Christmas 2018:- Please be patient with us. We are taking a *ton* of phone calls!- Fully Booked until Xmas. Some after-hours may be available, but we have families too, so may not be able to get to you. - Closed 25-28/12/2018 & 1/1/2019- Many suppliers are closed soon, and we are heavily weather-dependant.- SMS After-Hours - 0400 062 066Melbourne & Peninsula Spa Repairs

Please note this is a rough draft and will be updated with more info - 04/03/2015The Checklist:1. Electrical Approval Number: _________________________ thing you need to know2. Can the dealer provide proof that the spa is compliant with all Australian Standards? Yes / No illegal and dangerous.3. Is your dealer a: Spa-Specialist / Pool Shop / Hardware Seller / eBay / Unknown4. Spa Shell Country of Origin: USA / Australia / Canada / New Zealand / China / Other / Unknown5. What is the current / power consumption needed to run the spa? Some eBay/Chinese spas require abnormally high amounts of power to run. An average 6-10 person spa needs 15-32Amps. Some eBay spas require 80Amps!_______ Amps Full Load6. Is the spa shell insulated itself? Yes (good) / No (higher-running costs)7. Is the Foam sprayed on shell-only, or on plumbing as well? Shell-Only (best) / On Plumbing (expensive when leaks) / No Foam (bad)8. Are Jets & Fittings easily available?(Eg: Brands like CMP / Rising Dragon / Waterway / Edgetec / SpaQuip / American Products)Yes / No - If ‘No’ What brand are they?9. Does the spa dealer have an in-house technician or someone qualified in repair? Ask if they have electrical qualifications. If they say they don’t need any, this is not true.Yes / No - If ‘No’ they cannot legally repair your spa electricals10. Does the spa have any blisters, at all? If no, what is the warranty covering, and how long is the warranty on the shell itself?Current Blisters - Yes / NoWarranty Cover Blisters - Yes / NoWarranty Period - _________eBay / Chinese / “Cheap” Spas:**VERY IMPORTANT** Will the manufacturer give you an actual Electrical Approval Number? If they just say it's "approved","ISO 2001","CE Ticked","worldwide approval" etc but do not give an actual Australian electrical approval number it is probably an illegal spa. There are dozens of companies selling spas this way, especially popping up with a warehouse or on eBay. Your insurance will not cover illegal spas when things go wrong. (and they DO go wrong).You are also compromising you and your family's safety. Some of these spas are downright dangerous, and we have actually seen them catch fire.Contact Us to help you ascertain if a spa you are looking at is approved. Other issues with "cheap" spas:The Shell or Spa Itself:The acrylic/fibreglass shell on many eBay/Chinese spas is poor and is prone to blistering. This is where the acrylic (the visible) layer is detaching from the underlying fibreglass reinforcement. There is no real fix for this, and as the blisters grow, they will crack.The often steel-framing on cheap spas is poorly done, leaving stresses on the spa shell. Many of these cheaper spas are prone to premature cracks.Plastics quality - Jets, Manifolds, Diverters. Make sure these are US-made jets. Cheaper spas have poor quality-control and can be very hit-and-miss. Are the electronic parts easily available and replaceable? Again, as many don't even have electrical approval parts may not be available in the future. Again are they electrically approved in Australia?Australian / US built spas have parts available often 10-25 years after they were made.Are the jets & spare parts easily available?- US-made jets are still around that were being made 25 years ago.Is the spa ABSOLUTELY COVERED in fittings? Many cheaper spas have so many jets and fittings that look impressive, but those are potential places to leak in the future. Sometimes they don’t even have the right sealants/glue used and prematurely failOther things to look for with ANY brand of spa:Stick with US, Canadian or Australian companieseg (Aeware / Gecko / Balboa / Spa-Quip / SpaNet). They're approved, established and parts are generally available for many years in the future. Is the equipment easily accessible? When problems arise, it is important to be able to access all equipment. Otherwise it can be very difficult and expensive to work on.Insulation:What kind of insulation does the spa have? a. A combination of shell & cabinet insulation is best. b. Spray foam AFTER the spa is plumbed is a good insulator, but can make it VERY difficult and EXPENSIVE in the future as leaks appear and need repairing. Locating leaks and getting to everything is time-consuming and messy. A $100 leak can easily turn into a $500 leak.The Company:- How long have they been in business selling spas? - Do they also install spas, or just sell them off from a shop, home, or warehouse?- Are they actually a spa-specialist, or is it just a sideline of their business to sell a few spas?- Will they be around in the future? - Will you still be able to get support / repairs when things go wrong?